"And in those simple beautiful movements I remembered what was really important in training; that consistency trumps intensity; all the time. That intensity is born from consistency. That one cannot force it, one has to lay in wait for it, patiently, instinctively, calmly and be ready to grab it when Grace lays it down in front of you."

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Easy money. Got the first two days down at NoX and no problem. I carved out my space and it is fine. Different but fine. I've spent nine years in silence and it's a very noisy place but I can get used to that. "Kime" focus. that's all

6-7 amfull stretchout. soup to nuts and really worked my splits hard :)).Back, which tightened up the last 5 days is definitely going in the right direction and opening up the diaphragm and abs made a big difference. Lot so overhead stretches as well as shoulder band distractions for my good but reluctant left clavicle/shoulder

Back on the Warrior Diet strictly here as well as I am without kitchen so less cottage cheese, nuts etc as snacks. Just green tea and water.

8:30 amone arm swings16 kg x 5/5/5/5 x 3

Snatches16 kg x 10/10 x 8 sets x 20/20 x 1 set

These went great but I was bored and wanted to get it over with, hence the 20 reps set. Nice that this was so easy.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

That's what Glenn said this workout reminded him of and I thought it apt and accurate. Today was a scheduled light day given that tomorrow we break down and move Girya equipment and lift and carry stuff always kicks my butt.

I was a bit ragged after my ambitious two days in a row of lift,especially since almost every day for the last two weeks I've been lifting and carrying pieces of Girya back home and I could feel tighness in my lower back Friday that I haven't felt in ages and that didn't make me happy.

Especially since I have to move tomorrow and be fit for new duty on Monday.
So, light day today, just fives with the 20 kg but a crisp no nonsense pace both on the snatches and swings themselves and in the rotation. Even with 3 guys rotating there is no slacking and you barely get done before you go again.

40 yard sprints is exactly what I think about when we're doing sets of fives/ Short hard and to the point.fatigue never really builds up in any individual set, but when you add them up and go quickly it's overall effect catches up to you.

At least it does to me,

7-8 am Full stretchout have to unlock the abs and hamstrings and let my back open up. It did but the abs and lats were very tight.

8 amone arm swing warmup16 kg x 5/5/5/5 x 3

Snatch16 kg x5/5 x220 kg x 5/5 x 15 sets150 reps6600 lbs

these felt great. light and the form felt very solid. definitely feel that I have a solid "bottom" position to get into at the end of the backswing and a solid movement out of the hole. It's in the glutes and hips and NOT the lower back. Pace about the same 24 reps/min average.Solid holds at the top and no rush out of the hole.

One arm swings24 kg x10/10 x 5 sets100 reps5300 lbs

These felt great as well. Fast strong and powerful. It's so easy to get caught up in heavy weight all the time it's nice to force yourself to use the lighter bells and really work the acceleration with weight that you can see the effect and really practice your techniques.

Reverse grip triceps pushdowns4 x20

supersetted with floor handstands4 sets of 10 seconds. need to do more work here. more total sets and more often. not as strong as I want.

That's it. Steak and Eggs at the 4th Street Bowl Diner :)) For tomorrow starts a brand new era for me and Girya!

Surprsingly my lower back got a little tight after these; concentrating so hard on keeping my left big toe on the deck I don't think I pulled enough from the hips and too much from the back. no worries

Barbell deads135 x 3155 x 3185 x 2205 x 1 x 5 sets

these just didn't feel right and it wasn't my back. Too much focus on my toe :)) I think I have to switch to double overgrip for awhile and play with the starting position a bit. I don't want this to become a focus on how much weight I do, played that game before and it's not as important,I just want to find a strong and safe position that translates to real strength in real life, not just getting my DL better.

Two CB Swipes2 15s x 20 x 25 x35 x 20

these went well. grip and technique is finally coming around. totally going for efficiency on these , not power as I want to build reps.Used a shallower sit back on the hinge and that helped as well.

Rack Walks16 kg x 200 feet per arm2 sets

Much easier than last weeks 20 kg :) These seem to be helping my left arm find the right rack position for my press as well. Much less 'rattling' around in the shoulder during the walk. nice

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It's been a good run. I've been at Girya, 136 Hamilton Ave Palo Alto for the last nine years.It started out as Girya, The Art of Strength when I opened my doors on January 6, 2003, two years before I became RKC certified and over a year before I ever spoke to Pavel.

The kettlebell was a gift from G-d to me and I "got it" right away. It reminded me of a gymnast swinging around the horizontal bar and I knew there was something in this for me. At the time I was struggling with a serious back injury and wanted to train and progress as much as possible as a powerlifter but I knew my days were numbered.

Even more,I thought it was all over for me as an athlete,and more importantly, as a human animal, able to move strongly, and freely, without pain or restriction. The kettlebell swing and snatch changed all that for me and, most important, gave me hope that I could be strong and fit again.And I could and I am. Thanks to that round ball with a handle.

And that's what Girya, The Art of Strength was about.And I spent nine years working with people, one at a time and guiding them on their physical journey. Now it's time for a different venue.We lost our lease as the boom in Silicon Valley lets the landlord ask for double the current rent. No can do. All I need is some floor and a kettlebell to train my clients but I'm getting a lot more at the studio I'm going to.

I started my full time personal training career at No Excuses Fitness in Palo Alto 14 + years ago and spent over 4 years there as Head Trainer before I moved to Girya. I always loved training there as the owners, Angie and Dave DeGeronimo ,have a true passion for fitness and learning.They know the kettlebell is the real deal
and they are ready for the Reifkinds and the KB message.
! Tracy is bringing her classes to a much larger audience with streaming webcasting of her classes coming soon as well.

It will be great to work together even more too!

So February 1 , 2012 Girya, Russian Kettlebells Palo Alto will be located inside No Excuses Fitness
at 2741 Middlefield Road.A completely new beginning and I am seriously pumped about what's going to happen next.

Tracy's book "The Swing" is on the stands March 13 and that's going to be awesome as well!

But I hadn't trained with bells since Saturday so today was snatch day

One arm swings16 kg x5/5/5/5 x3

Snatches16 kg x 10/10 x 10 sets200 reps7200 lbs

this was a nice easy but still stimulating workout. will repeat this with the 20 kg on Saturday

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Good day today, again. What a difference a good crew makes. It feels like the old days when it was either a heavy squat day or a competition and you had your buds there to help you through it. Energy creates energy and just having these guys there makes me stronger .

No repercussions from Thursdays pulls and I actually felt great from all the 100 up and calf work I've been doing. Definitely helps me set my standing and walking stance position and push reset as well when things get wonky. MUCH less leg tension than usual. Nice.

Also nice that it started to rain and warm up and I don't feel like every joint in my body is in the deep freeze. So much easier to move when I'm not frozen :))

7-8 am full stretchout

lots on emphasis on down and up dog and straddle sits/splits. Pain ball work for the brachialis and pec minor. Kinsieo tape on brachialis really helping shoulder too. :))

Very happy with teshnik, pace and safety feeling.Really feeling like I am owning ALL parts of this move. Not just hinging off my lower back in the bottom position but really getting some shock absorption through the legs and hips.
Also happy with my wind and being able to move up in reps with no discomfort. Staying at the right pace is helping tremendously.I'm moving faster than I thought: 24 reps per minute pace but with no sense of trying to go back.
Basically 20 reps in 50 seconds. Not bad with a definite pause at the top and an attempt to really maximize the back stretch position as well. Cool, it's coming.

Plus Glen caught a crucial mistake I've been making when I snatch: letting my left big toe come off the ground. If the big toe isn't planted you totally lose your "root" and the center of your base. All the foot and ankle mobility I've been doing has really shown me the importance of the mobility and coordination of ALL the toes.It's a key to ankle mobility and that is the key to knee stability and mobility as well.

With my arthritic crooked knee I have to be even more concerned about my foot position and strength and make sure all the digits move and extend correctly.If the toes are tight, the foot is short, if the foot is short the ankle is tight, if the ankle is tight the knee is unstable, etc., etc., etc.
Very excited to be doing calf work again as well, I can already feel the difference in my standing position, walking and gait work.

and Nick had a field day today, killing his snatch workout and ending with this easy 40 kg set

One Arm Swings28 kg x5/532 kg x5/536 kg x5/5

datsit.NICE. Haven't swung the 36 kg one arm in a year or more and it was strong. that's it though I'm tired and want to end on a strong/high note

Nice to NOT have to do volume to feel like the workout was enough. It's all easy 'til it's heavy :)) Ans this didn't feel that heavy. The Bulldog will be swung, and soon.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

After reading Tim Anderson and Mike McNiff's two books on bulletproofing the body and pressing the reset button on so basic but oh so vital movement patterns I decide to do these drills, my variations of them of course ,( I have to carefefully tailor everything I do to my own unique asymmetries and imbalances) every day.

I know my stretch routine is a must and must be done 5 out of 7 days but I think this series of cross crawl, marching, trotting and eventually rolling patterns is really going to make a difference in how well, far and easily I can walk and stand.As well as the calf raise progressions from Convict Conditioning 2.

I now believe that my left knee and ankle issues started to emerge when I stopped bodybuilding, started powerlifting and ceased all calf work. I used to train calves HARD and frequently as they were a weak point of mine and weak points get extra attention.So it's back to calf training and I have a LONG way to go.

The great thing about the CC progressions are that I don't need anything but the bodyweight single calf raise to train them. And a super high pain tolerance and threshold for boredome

I also know that doing the 100 ups( marching in Tim and Mikes book) is key for me. Either done stationary or traveling, fast or slow it is vital for me resetting my 'center of balance' and placing my left leg in the proper position right under me.

It's too easy for me to stand with most of the weight on my dominant ,stronger and uninjured right leg and displace my center of balance. This really shows up in my walking gait as my left leg is no longer directly under me.I can't do that when I march in place, much less trot in place. I played with it all morning and it put in the right position immediately. Nice

these went great! SO cool to be able to pull with Glenn who has pulled an official 755 in three lift competition~ I know the weights are small but that doesn't matter. we approach it just as if it were 500 plus. Treat your light weights like they are heavy and the heavy weights will feel light :))

This was a recent pr on volume so next week back to 190 or so for singles. really focused on pushing with my left side as I deadlifted so I didn't overload my much stronger right side even more.

I know it's risky but this feels right. my new form is much different than my old competition form and not wearing a belt makes a lot of difference. I never ever pulled without a belt. even 135 I had it on. Not wearing one really makes you connect the upper and lower body into one unit.
When you wear the belt you really put so much focus on the abs that it actually disconnects you as a unit, I think. You can put unnatural load on the abs because the belts support.

Big difference without it and I think much more beneficial. Of course one will sacrifice pounds but what is that anyway? And at what price?

Two Clubbell swipessingle 10 lb swipe 10/10two 15s x 15 x20 x25 x30
90 reps. this was the best my grip has felt in a long time. I image the deads are helping that.

Rack Walks20 kg x 100 foot per arm2 sets per arm

haven't done this with 20 kg in years . not bad at all.and I think having to figure out the rack position on my left side my help clear up my press position as well. Or not :))

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

After a nice 50 minute full body stretchout this morning( legs feel much looser) I made this little video about my overhead stick stretching as per a request.

This method has consistently helped my open my lats, pecs, front delts, biceps and forearms and although it is very simple to do kicks most people's asses very quickly. When I ran my Level 2 Team through this in Hungary last summer they ALL had a very hard time holding the double overhead position for a minute, not to mention the alternating single arm work for 45 seconds each as well.

Camping out in whatever position you can hold is the key to getting results from this type of stretch. Spending 10-15 second and them moving onto the next position before you see a change( an increase in ROM or a better position) is the mistake.

Don't go any deeper into the stretch than you can hold is the real key, as well as constantly working to better all the positions.

For the one arm overhead : lock the elbow,pack the shoulder, pull the arm closer to the ear, and reach back. Rinse and repeat ad nauseum :))

I suggest using a mirror as you do this for the feedback of where you actually are versus where you think you are. I wish I had used a mirror today. My left arm wasn't near as vertical as I thought it was.

Monday, January 16, 2012

It seems in my quest to regain my body and rebalance all ( or at least some) of my asymmetries it seems like I am trying to herd cats. As soon as I get one thing, or side, squared away, something pops out the other.

Like some kind of perverse Jenga game or something. I've been working on rehabbing my right shoulder for what seems an eternity lately( the latest injury was a rotator cuff tear in '03, not counting the original dislocation in 1977!) and it has finally come along! My overhead position on snatches is infinitely better than ever and I've been able to train it, and demonstrate the press with it for the last year plus.

NOW of course that the right side is good the left side has been giving me problems. It hasn't been right ( pun intended) for the last 6 months with SOMETHING sliding out of position in all kinds of weird positions( sleeping at night, side planks, any kind of horizontal pushing but not, up until recently, overhead kb military presses.

The good news is that I have figured out it is my sternal clavical moving around and not the biceps tendon as I thought and I know how to"set" it back into neutral almost instantly.

But I'm tired of fighting it every step of the way in my press workouts and think it might be time to drop that move for awhile. I really hate to do it given that I CAN press well with my right side finally but I think that's the message here.

And I can deadlift again but can't press. So weird.

I once told a friend whose license plate read "Want All" that he COULD have it all. Just not simultaneously :))

Seems the same for me but that is cool. have to heed the signposts and go with the flow :))Life is a wave of unpredictability.Ride it. Adjust. Move on.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

I was worried that I was going to hurt something today because I felt so good going in. Slept well, ate well, stretched out well this morning so I was a bit concerned :))

Good news was that nothing bad happened and the workout went great. Nick was out today so it was just Glenn and me. It's amazing the progress he has made in the 6 short months since he began kb training with me.He hung with me set for set and rep for rep.Amazing.

these went great although looking at the video I think my left leg is too wide. With my weird ass left knee finding "center" is not an easy thing.Wider feels better but I have to take more care to set up more evenly.It's way too easy for me to set up on my stronger right leg and have my left leg too far 'left' :))

Anyway the groove felt very solid in all parts, the layback was solid, the rotation of the arm ( need more on my right it seems) helped lock the elbow better, the 'shock absorb' in the hole felt solid and the hip snap high pull worked well too. These were as easy as they've been ever. Nice.

One arm swings24 kg x 10/10 x 5 sets100 reps;5400 lbs

These went very well, Haven't gone "light" in the swing in awhile so it was nice. Could have done more but left feeling fresh. nice.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Things have been seriously hectic around here lately and my stretching routine has taken a beating. Now it was my turn to pay for my sins as my left knee was getting tighter than it's been in months and I knew exactly why.No excuses it just is what it is and I also knew exactly what to do to fix it.

Only problem was that I literally didn't have the time and before I knew it it was time to deadlift with Glenn.I did stretch out the toes, feet and calves which did help tremendously but it wasn't the 45-60 minute, relaxing, deep stretchout that is required to REALLY get things opened up to feel 'loose'.

thank goodness my first client cancelled tomorrow so I will get the full stretchout and all will be right with my knee :))

haven't been doing enough 100 "ups" either so I did those two and realized how much I've backslid on these> I need to do the 100 ups minor EVERY DAY. My gait pattern is probably priority one these days.

Two Hand KB Deadlift32 kg x 536 kg x540 kg x544 kg x548 kg x5

these felt very good as a warmup

Barbell Deadlift135 x3 x2155 x 3185 x 2205 x 1 x 5 sets

these went very well and 135 felt like 135 should feel like ,lol really focused on locking in at the bottom with the lats and pulling IN as well as pushing down. wanted to go heavier but I've gone up three weeks in a row and needed a lower weight. the volume was perfect.

My long term goal is to be able to regularly and easily do 6 sets of 1 with 315. Next year for sure.

Two CB Swipes10s x 5/5/5/5 warmup

2 15's x 15 x20 x 25 x 30 ( video above)

these are getting much better each week and having a training partner like Glenn makes all the difference. Who you train with can make you stronger or weaker.

Monday, January 09, 2012

SO speaks Pavel and he's right. Nothing like a bottoms up press to teach you that. I had another object lesson in the clean this morning with my love and training partner Tracy :))

Last weeks press workout was a wake up call and today I was hoping would be better. And it was. After I got my clavicle to set back into place. Always is easier to do overhead presses with all the joints in the right part of the sockets :))

This was tough. Most of the misses were on stability and balance ( which is a different kind of strength) Once I got the left clavicle to really adjust with the band distraction the weights went up no problem.strangely it's sleeping that causes most of the problems. But I got four good max attempts in, and that's the goal.

Bottoms up cleans28 kg x 3/332 kg x2/2 x 2/3

these are some much easier when you can move in and out of the position. when you have to deadstop it to press it, it's a whole 'nother thing

One arm CB arm casts15 lbs x 10/1020 lbs x 5/5 x 2 Pr

Nice! these were strong. I've never done these before and it wasn't that bad

Saturday, January 07, 2012

This quote from a Russian Army officer that appeared in Pavel's first book "Russian Kettlebell challenge" is what I think most of when I consider what my goal is from my training practice. For years my goal was competition and increasing my performance over my last workout.

It didn't matter if I was too sore to do anything meaningfull between workouts as I long as I bettered my last workout and performed to a new level at the next competition.And then I got old enough that my injuries caught up with me and doing daily tasks, VERY easy simple daily tasks such as walking and picking light things off the floor, turning over in bed and sitting in cars got very hard. And painful.

And the true value of training rang home to me. I need to be able work. To be able to be fit enough to do all that my day requires of me , strongly, and have more in the tank. To move well and NOT be in pain. To be able to have a surplus so that when things get hectic it's not a problem

To have a back of iron and legs that never quit.

Because I have experienced the opposite of both those conditions and they are miserable. Everything sucks and is hard when you are in pain and can't move well. Daily tasks are now herculean and just getting through the day, much less thriving seems an impossibility.

High levels of work capacity are my goal for the rest of my life. To be functionally strong. To be able to move easily and for as long as I want. To pick things up, carry them strongly and place them overhead when needed. To be able to do my job, my practice and my life and not be fatigued or drained from physical pain; whether caused my injury OR bad training.

This is where I am headed and I am very excited. To be able to do a kickass workout and not even feel I did anything an hour later. Much less the next day.

And that's what today was like. recovered easily from Thursday's workout with Glenn and went into snatch work today. Cold though.8 amOne arm swing warmup:16 kg x 5/5/5/5 x FOUR sets( 40 degrees in the Cave today:))

Snatch 16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 5/5

24 kg x5/5 x6/6 x7/7 x8/8 x 2 rounds104 reps 5512 lbs

these went great. My technique held up well. Slightly wider stance, slight layback at the top before the descent,internal rotation of the arm/shoulder in the backswing, upper back pull after the hip snap and external rotation into the lockout then a pause. Going slower is really helping me find my groove.
I love/ hate Max Vo2 training but trying to go fast was killing my snatch groove.

this was good but tough too! I so wanted to skip 9's and go right to 10's but I didn't, lol.can't believe that I once did 400 of these in a workout but at least I did it once, lol. Now, 100 reps or so is just fine, especially after snatches. One arms with the 36 kg is coming

Triceps band extensions40, 30, 20 16+ 1/2 lol.

Doesn't seem like much work when I write it down but it sure was this morning, lol.The good thing was that it was strong and I didn't hurt anything. SO good to be back in the cave with a real crew again. Good old days for sure.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Glenn joined me for training today and all of a sudden Thursday's workout didn't suck anymore:) Glenn is land Old School Real Deal guy and he brings more to the training table than he takes and that's awesome. He knows what it means to really train and also what it means to be a real training partner.

No education needed he's right there at full speed from the get. Nice.

The hardest part of training with him will be keeping the brakes on him AND on myself as we are both broke pretty badly in the body but the brain still says GO. We have to hold each other back at the same time as we edge forward toward restoring ourselves.

I told him my goal was to train as hard as I could and not feel anything the next day. He understands a little but he'll get it.

Especially since he deadlifted for the first time in ten plus years ago and he has a 755 deadlift in Competition ( 3 lift meet too) to his credit and the pull was his best lift. He did real well today( holding himself back) but we'll see how he feels tomorrow.

Me too :))

Long ass day with lots of demonstrating.

6-7 am client no show so

6o minute full stretchout.

Shoulder has been perfect of late ever since I learned how to get that bicep tendon back in place with the band distaction. SO nice

worked a lot on splits to all three sides plus brettzells, strap hamstriing stretches and foot work.

These felt better than ever. really took my time locking in and getting myself wedged under the bar. Re found my lat connection on the deads again and that made aa big difference. It's been so long and I have used every deadlift style known to man at least 3 times . No joke.

Two clubbell swipes4 sets of 20 with 15's

these were the strongest I have been in eons on these. Finally the grip wasn't smoked.I was just strong today.

Monday, January 02, 2012

One of the cornerstones of the WSB system is using special "same but different" exercises of a classical lift- say a military press- and going to a maximum lift for 1-3 reps each week. There is no faster way to gain strength than by lifting a maximum weight.

The only problem with this approach is that after 2-4 weeks you, and EVERYONE, will lose strength and go backwards.Louie figured out that if one changed the exercises every 1-3 weeks( depending on how advanced you are). The key is that lift is very close but not exactly the same as the classic lift.

The other key is to find the special exercises that actually transfer to making the classic lift better. If you improve your bottoms up press and it doesn't convert into your kb military press than it's not a good special exercise for you.

I haven't been able to even think about doing this type of conversion with the kettlebell as it's been so recent that I've even been able to train instead of just surviving the day and doing rehab.I still can't believe it's true.

But I've hit an impasses just using the kb press to improve the kb press so I thought I would give this a go.
I figure I will do two week on a specific special exercise before switching.

The goal is to do, according to Prilipen's table, between 3 and 6 lifts at 90 % of max and above.Since with kbs there are pretty big jumps this means 3-6 lifts with the same weight will have to suffice.It's tough enough

this is a very different groove and my right is different from my left. Once I figured it out it calmed down but I'm not use to missing.
All I can say is that my kbs now have a lot of handprints in chalk on them;))

probably didn't help that I did heavy bottoms up clean on saturday but oh well.

handstand on p barz5 sets of 10 seconds, all free stand no wall touch. this is easier on the pbars than the floor( not to touch off the wall first)

HS pushup attempts

just two sets of 1/8-1/4 pushups. mainly worried about the shoulder subluxing as I descend .I have more than enough strength and balance to do the full pushup- just worried about the shoulder moving.especially since it's been so solid of late.